Crate for milk bottles



w. LYNCH. CRATE FOR MILK BOTTLES. APPLICATION FILED NOV. 3, I921- Patented Aug. 15, 1922.

M/I/E/VTOR WILL/AM Lr/YCH.

BY y 40 ATTORNEYS WIT/V3858 iaaaeoa.

; stares WILLIAM: LYNCH, 0F BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

CR TE FOB, MILK Bo'r'rLns.

Application filed November 3, 1921. Serial No. 512,508.

To'aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, lViLLiAM LYNCH, a

citizen of the United States, and a resident ofthe city of New York, borough of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Crate for Milk Bottles, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact de-' scription. v

The presentinvention relates to new and useful improvements in crates, boxes and the like, and it pertains-more particularly to a crate or b0): containing milk bottles.

In the present handling of milk bottles,

it is generallyrequired that the bottles be sterilized after eaclr use thereof, andit is also the general practice to sterilize these, bottles directly in the crates in which they are shipped and handled in order that the crates also may be subjected to the sterilizing action. The crates with the bottles in inverted position are passed through suitable sterilizing apparatus consisting of various jets of water of different degrees of temperature. It frequently happens that the bottles when inverted in the crate do. not properly position themselves, and when this isthe case, as the crates pass through the sterilizing apparatus the bottles will not be is especially adapted for properly positioning the'bottles during the sterilizing operation. j

It is a further object of the invention to provide a new a-nd'improved form of me-.

, tallic supporting means adapted to center the bottles when in inverted position in the crate.

' It is a still further object of the invention to so construct this metal supporting element that it will engage only the enlarged portion common to the mouths of milk bottles of the conventional type, and owing to its engagement with this portion of the bottle, the chance or liability of the bottle becoming chipped by reason of its is minimized. With the above contact with the metal supporting member and other objects in view,

, Specification of Letters Patent. Pgatntgd Aug, 15,1922, 7

reference is had to the accompanying drawings, in which V Figure 1 is a sectional View of a crate or box constructed in accordance with the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a detail viewpartly in section, showing the manner of engagement of the mouth of the bottle withthe metallic supporting member when the bottle is prop-' erly positioned within the crate;

Fig. 3 is asimilar, view showingthebot tle angularly disposed and the manner in i which it is automatically centered when placed in invertedposition in the vcratefl Referring o barticularly to the draw -ings, the reference-character 5 designates the crate, and said crate is constructed in the ordinary manner with a plurality oftransverse partitions 6 adapted to' form r c spaces within which the bottles 7 are re-- ceived. I

Extending preferably longitudinally {of the crate or box 5-and arranged in spaced relation in the bottomthereof, isa plurality of metallic supporting members 8. metallic supporting members 8' are in the form of steel wires, and have. their ends angularly bent as indicatedby the reference character-,9, and passed into openings in the frame members of the box-in order to secure These the metallic supporting members 8 in place. I

These members 8 are clearly shown'in Figs. 2 and 3, and said members are bent to form depressed portions indicated by the reference character 10. The anglesof the sides of each of these depressed portions are dif-.v ferent inthat the inner angle 11 is sharper or'more abrupt than is the outer angle 12. By this construction it is apparent that as the bottle is placed in inverted position within the crate, if the bottle be inserted in a true vertical plane, the thickened portion 14 of the mouth thereof will engagethe less abruptangle 12 of the depressed portion 10, as is clearly shown in Fig. Zand the bottle will be supported in this manner I with the inner marginal ed of its mouth out of contact with that portion 20 of the metallic supporting member which lies between the depressed portions 10.

Assuming, however, that the bottle is not inserted within the crate in a true vertical plane but is inserted at an angle as shown in Fig. 3, with the thicker portion 01" the neck or" the bottle engaging either or" the less abrupt portions 12 of the depressed portion 10 of the metallic members 8, the bottle will then automatically assume the position shown in 2, which is in the true vertical plane. Caving to the intermediate portion 200i the supporting members 8 projecting upwardly into the mouth of the bottles, it is apparent that the bottles cannot shift relatively to the supporting members, and, therefore, the bottles will at all times be properly centered in order to receive the ets of the sterilizing apparatus.

From the foregoing it 18 apparent that as the bottles are inserted. in the crate, the shoulder 25 of the mouth of the bottle can atno time engage any portion of the metallic supporting member, and inasmuch as only the thickened portion 14 or" the mouth of the bottle engages this metallic member, which thickened portion will withstand shocks and jars, the tendency of the bottles to chip and break is greatly reduced. Therefore, in employing a crate of this character the life of the bottles is greatly increased over bottles employed with the ordinary supporting member in which. the shoulder portion 25 of the bottle is continuously subjected to shocks and is consequently chipped and -fractured.

.1 claim:

1. In a crate, a supporting member, said supporting member being crimped to provide depressed portions arranged in spaced pairs, the legs of each of said depressed portions being of different angles.

2. In a crate, a bottle-supporting member comprising a wire extending longitudinally of the crate and provided with depressed portions adapted to receive the mouth of a bottle supported therein in such a manner that the interior of the mouth of said bottle will at all times be out of contact with the bottle-supporting member.

In a milr-bottle crate, a supporting member comprising a strand of wire anchored in the frame of the 'crate and depressed portions formed in said Wire, said depressed portions being arranged in pairs and having their opposite sides angularly disposed with respect to each other in such a manner that the milk-bottle will be supported within the depressed portion on. the outer angles thereof, substantially as described.

4. In a milk-bottle crate, a bottle supporting element comprising a strand of wire having substantially V-shaped portions formed therein and arranged in pairs, the legs of said ii-shaped portions being arranged at different degrees of angle, as and for the purpose set forth.

WILLIAM LYNCH. 

